Interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display signs



c. H. WAMSER 2,939,235

IAL ILLUMINATABLE DISPLAY SIGNS June 7, 1960 INTERCHANGEJABLE FACE} PICTOR Filed Jan. 26, 1959 mwzzvrox mm, 1

iizmee mm ATTOH/VEVS.

United States Patent INTERCHANGEABLE FACE PICTORIAL ILLUMI- NAT ABLE DISPLAY SIGNS Carl H. Wamser, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Everbrite Electric Signs, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 789,110

4 Claims. (Cl. 40-132) This invention relates to improvements in interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display signs.

Illuminatable display signs are provided wherein a display face of the sign casing has art copy and advertising indicia thereon, and because of the nature of the display it is desirable that the display facing be changeable from time to time to vary the art copy and advertising indicia. However, in such conventional illuminatable display signs the display facing, which is an integral part of the sign casing, is not susceptible of easy removal to provide for the interchangeability of the display facing and, moreover, because of the necessity for clearly defining and displaying the art copy and advertising such facing of the casing is preferably transparent and clear, which has certain objectionable aspects when the transparent facing is a permanent wall portion of the casing.

A primary object of the present invention is to overcome the objections above noted by the provision of an illuminatable display casing wherein a translucent wall of the casing may have superimposed thereon for easy removal and interchangeability, transparent facing sections carrying art copy and advertising indicia, allowing superior treatment of the interchangeable exterior indicia carrying facings. 4

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display sign in which the display carrying facing can be'easily removed and replaced by manual manipulations exteriorly of the sign casing, without disassembling the casing proper.

A further object of the invention is to provide an interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display sign which is susceptible of long and varied service, which is neat and attractive in appearance, which is inexpensive to maintain, and which is Well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display sign, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a front and end perspective view of one form of illuminatable display sign casing provided with interchangeable art and indicia carrying exterior facing panels, parts being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the interchangeable display facing panels such as is removably mounted on the sign casing;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of a lower corner portion of the display sign casing showing the manner in which a margin of a display facing panel is slidably engaged with a track formed in a wall of the casing;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a conven- 2 tional illuminatable display sign casing showing modification thereof to adapt it for the mounting thereon of removable interchangeable display facing panels; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of a lower corner portion of the modified casing of Fig. 5 adapted to removably and interchangeably receive a display facing panel.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the display sign casing, merely by way of illustration, has been shown as being of box like rectangular form but it can, within the scope of the present invention, be of any desired shape or configuration.

In the embodiment shown, the casing comprises a rear Wall 10 having forwardly projecting top and bottom sections 11 and 12 formed with inturned right angular flanges 13 which are secured to inturned right angular flanges 14 on complementary top and bottom sections 15 and -16, integral with and projecting horizontally rearwardly from the top and bottom margins of a front wall 17. The wall elements 10, 11 and 12 of the casing are preferably formed of plastic, or of any other suitable material, and the same are of slightly lighter gauge than the casing wall portions 15, 16 and 17. The latter are of extruded plastic, preferably polystyrene, and at least the plastic front 17 is translucent. The latter, adjacent its upper and lower margins, is provided with inwardly offset U-shaped ribs or tracks 18 for the purpose hereinafter to be set forth.

Secured to the end portions of the casing elements heretofore mentioned so as to close the casing, are end members 19. Suitably mounted within the casing are one or more illuminating tubes 20 which, in use, are connected by wiring (not shown) with a suitable source of electrical energy, and which tube or tubes, when energized, illuminate the casing, with light rays therefrom passing outwardly through the translucent front face 17 of .the casing and other portions thereof, if desired.

The particular feature of the present invention resides in the application to the front facing of the display sign, of interchangeable display'face panels designated 21 and 22, in Fig. 1 of the drawing, although, within the scope of the present invention, there could be superimposed on the translucent front face 17 of the casing, one or a plurality of display face panels, removable for interchange with other display panels to vary the sign display indicia.

An interchangeable display face panel 21 is shown in Fig. 3 and the same is a thin sheet of plastic material which is clear and transparent and which may carry either a pictorial display or art copy as is shown on the panel 21, or advertising indicia, as is shown on the panel 22. The interchangeable panels 21 and 22 have their upper and lower longitudinal margins formed with inwardly rolled edges 23 which are adapted to slidably engage in the grooves of the ribs or tracks 18 on the casing front face 17 The thin clear plastic display panels 21 and 22, where several are utilized as in Fig. 1, are superimposed on the thicker translucent front face 17 of the casing in the manner shown in Fig. 1 and these thin clear interchangeable panels may be treated with art work and advertising or display indicia in any desired manner with the result that the light rays passing through the translucent front face 17 of the casing also pass through the clear display panels 21 and 22 and efiiciently and effectively illuminate the art work, pictorial representation or advertising display thereon.

To remove and replace a display panel or panels it is merely necessary to slide the same outwardly longitudinally with the rolled edges 23 riding in the tracks 18 and removal and replacement of the display panels can be readily accomplished without disturbing the interior of the display sign and without disassembling it in any manner whatsoever.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, a slight modification is illustrated wherein the principle of a superimposed interchangeable thin clear display panel is applied to a standard or available box type illuminatable display signs which was not originally formed on the front or display side with guide tracks for the rolled edges of the display panels. To adapt a standard sign casing of the type shown in Fig. 5 for a superimposed art work display panel, hollow-box sections 24 are provided having openings on their inner sides and flanges 25, whereby said box sections 24, which are of a length commensurate with the length of the display sign casing, have the faces of their flanges glued, as at 26 in Fig. 6, to marginal outer faceiportions of the integral translucent front face -17' of the casing. These applied box sections then'provide outwardlypro: jecting tracks to slidably receive the opposite rolled edge portions 23' of a thin transparent display panel 21' which, as mounted, is reversed relative to the position of the display panels in Figs. 1 and 2.

. The improved interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display sign has the display bearing panels removably and interchangeably mounted on'the outer surface of the front of the display sign casing, and this eliminates the necessity for havingthe normal front wall of the easing clear and transparent as, pursuant to the present invention, it may be translucent, which permits better treatment of the outermost display indicia carrying face panels, which are at all times clear and visible.

The improved illuminatable display sign permits unlimited treatment in respect to the displays, as the panels may carry art work and advertising indicia and, due to the ready interchangeability of the display panels, without disassembling the sign casing, the displays may be periodically varied, as desired.

The interchangeable face pictorial illuminatable display sign is of simple construction, is effective in use, is easy to service, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A display sign, comprising a casing having illuminating means therein, a face portion of the casing having alight permeable display area, recessed tracks formed on the exterior of said face portion-along opposite margins of the display area, and a light permeable display panel 4 superimposed over said display area and having ribs formed along opposite margins to s'lidably engage in said recessed tracks to permit removal and replacement of said display panel without disassembly of any portion of the casing.

2. A display sign, comprising a casing having illuminating means therein, a face portion of the casing having a light permeable display area, recessed tracks formed on the exterior of said face portion along opposite margins of the display area, and a light permeable display panel superimposed over said display area, opposite margins of said panel having rolled edges slidably engaging said recessed tracks to permit sliding displacement of said display panel.

3. A display sign, comprising a casing having illuminating means therein, a face portion of the casing having a translucent area, grooved tracks formed on said face portion along longitudinal margins of the translucent area, and a transparent display panel removably and interchangeably superimposed on the outer surface of said face portion of the casing over said translucent area and having ribs along its longitudinal margins slidably engaging said tracks.

4. A display sign, comprising a box-like casing having illuminating means therein, a face portion of the casing having a translucent area with grooves formed on the exterior of said face portion along opposite longitudinal margins of said area, and a flat transparent display panel superimposed over said translucent area and having rolled edges along its opposite longitudinal margins to slidably removably engage in said grooves to permit sliding displacement of said display panel without disassembly of any portion of the casing, said display panel being formed of thin plastic sheet material and having art copy delineated thereon for illuminated display by light rays pass? ing through the translucent face area of the casing,

References Cited in the ,file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,291,370 Beaven Jan. 14, 1919 1,729,961 Partridge Oct. 1, 1929 1,899,533 Spencer Feb. 28, 1933 2,744,345 Janning May 8, 1956 

